“We were told that she got it from the toast” – said to newsit.gr the father of the 13-year-old girl who drowned at the special school in Piraeus and despite efforts to keep him alive, the child breathed his last.
The 13-year-old student collapsed at lunchtime at the special school in Piraeus and cooled down a little later. The incident happened in the morning, during class, on the same day that the child’s father had taken him for general blood tests before dropping him off at school.
According to what the father reports to newsit.gr, the girl had a simple snack with him — a piece of toast, two bananas and tangerines — and was informed by the manager that the child choked on the toast.
“We don’t know if the child actually drowned… there are various things going on in this school” he said to newsit.gr.
“I had taken her in the morning to do general blood tests and then I took her to school, at lunch time what happened… I had given her a piece of toast, two bananas and tangerines for a snack. That’s what we were told he got from the toast.
The manager called me and told me what happened. However, we have had a coroner look into the case, we don’t know if the child actually drowned, there are things going on in this school, nothing is being done right, but now that they say there was a teacher and a nurse in front, I can’t know that.
I’m at the police station right now I am suing the principal, the teacher, the nurse but also to anyone else who is responsible.”
The father disputes the initial picture he was given by the school and has therefore already appointed a coroner to check the exact circumstances of the death. As he emphasizes, he does not know what really happened at the time of the incident, while he expresses strong concern about what – as he claims – is happening in this particular school and whether the proper procedures are being followed.
The family is asking for answers about the sudden death of the 13-year-old and requires a full investigation into the circumstances under which a child went missing in their school.
With the father already taking legal action and ordering a forensic examination, the case takes on a new dimension and is expected to shed light on critical questions about safety and supervision within the school environment.
Ministry of Education sources: The special school is fully staffed
Fully staffed with 25 teachers and all the specialties provided for Special Schools was the Piraeus School where the tragedy happened with the 13-year-old girl, according to sources from the Ministry of Education.
The same sources say, on the occasion of information transmitted about understaffing of the 2nd Special School of Piraeus:
• The school is fully staffed with 25 teachers of different specialties and members of special teaching and special support staff who cover the needs of 30 male and female students.
All the specialties foreseen for a Special School are covered and 7 departments operate.
The 5 classes have 4 students and the 2 classes have 5 students each. Classes are divided according to the needs and abilities of the children after a decision by the teachers’ association.
Specifically, the school currently serves:
• 8 special education and training teachers
• 5 members of special support staff
• 1 nurse
• 1 speech therapist
• 1 occupational therapist
• 1 physical therapist
• 2 psychologists
• 1 social worker
• 1 special physical education trainer
• 1 specially trained musician
• 1 computer special education
• 1 artistic special education
• 1 special education theater studies
It is also noted that during the morning feeding time the 13-year-old girl was in a group with two other children under the supervision of a special teacher and a member of special support staff.
When the child’s difficulty in swallowing was noticed, the nurse from the adjacent ward was called and she provided first aid. At the same time, the Director of the School called the EMS which arrived within a few minutes. At the same time, the doctors from the Health Center, which is located close to the school, were also notified, who rushed and took charge of the incident at the site. When the ambulance arrived, it took over the transfer of the child to the General Hospital of Nicaea.